4 ways providers can bill for telehealth

Telehealth is an important part of patient care and is something that is commonly sought after by patients, especially when changing healthcare providers. It allows providers to increase continuity of care, offer care options past normal office hours, reduce the patient’s need to travel to the office, and help overcome clinician shortages. The latter is especially important in rural and other underserved populations.

Whether you're using a stand-alone solution such as CGM ELVI or a system like Patient Connect that is fully integrated with the CGM APRIMA electronic health record, leveraging telehealth helps providers focus more on chronic disease management, increase practice efficiency, improve overall patient wellness, and increase patient satisfaction.

While many providers adopted telehealth during the pandemic, it can still be daunting to figure out how to leverage this technology in a practice plan long-term. How do you bill for telehealth?

Bill for afterhours care with telehealth

In today’s busy world, a patient’s schedule often can’t budge to fit in an office visit. Not only does telehealth offer the flexibility of short visits being completed during office overs, it helps providers offer care outside of office hours. For patients who can’t make normal office hours work but still need to meet with a provider, offering telehealth visits can solve simple issues in a timely manner.

Bill for telehealth follow-up care

If you have a patient who is starting a new medication or is post-op, telehealth is a great option. In place of an in-person visit, which can be difficult for the patient (especially after surgery), telehealth can offer a more convenient option for follow-ups.

For example, a telehealth follow-up visit is an event for which you can bill. A telehealth follow-up visit allows for shorter visits to check in on how patients are reacting to medication. This can be easily accomplished over a short telehealth call. Post-op patients can complete check ups without having to find transportation if they cannot drive themselves. If an in-person follow up is needed, it can also be scheduled at that time.

Bill for telehealth visits for rural and underserved populations

Rural patients pose a significant opportunity for providers to serve with telehealth. In places where providers are scarce or where a provider is a long distance away, telehealth can ensure these patients still get the care they need. Underserved populations oftentimes fall to the wayside with their care and treatment plans due to a lack of availability. Telehealth calls over devices with internet can ensure that they are still seen and improve their overall health.

Billable events with telehealth benefit both the provider and the patient. While the provider’s business grows, the patient gets the care they require and their overall health improves. For some patients, the ability to have telehealth appointments will make the difference in choosing a provider.

Remote patient monitoring is a billable opportunity

Remote patient monitoring is an important part of chronically ill patient care, and an opportunity for a billable event using telehealth. With technology and telehealth visits, these monitor check-ins are easier than ever, cutting out the need for an office visit.

Any device that collects data, such as a glucose monitor or a blood pressure machine, can be used for remote patient monitoring. Those devices are one part of a plan of care including telehealth visits.

By leveraging monitoring remotely and virtual visits, you can check in on your chronic care patients without them taking hours out of their day for an in-person visit.

Your office will also be able to create blocks of time to check-in on these patients, creating billable events. Providers will also be able to identify any patients that require any extra care or medication changes without the patient coming into the office.